Federal Sentences in the Middle District of North Carolina, FY2016–2025
Firearms offenses, not drug trafficking, were the most common federal offense type in the Middle District of North Carolina in fiscal years 2016 to 2025: 1,372 of 3,816 people sentenced (36%). The median prison term was 60 months (5 years), compared with 24 months across all federal districts. Only
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In brief: Firearms offenses, not drug trafficking, were the most common federal offense type in the Middle District of North Carolina in fiscal years 2016 to 2025: 1,372 of 3,816 people sentenced (36%). The median prison term was 60 months (5 years), compared with 24 months across all federal districts. Only 27% of those sentenced were in the lowest criminal history category.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 3,816 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Acquittals and dismissals come from a second source, the Federal Judicial Center's records of 753,808 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. It is part of the Federal Prosecution Analysis series, which builds on Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System. How the numbers were built: How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built.
Firearms Cases Led the District
The 1,372 firearms cases made up 36% of everyone sentenced. Drug trafficking was second, with 1,116 people (29%). In this district, drug trafficking was not the largest group.
Firearms cases had a median prison term of 58 months. Drug trafficking cases had a median of 78 months. Robbery, the next largest group at 302 people (8%), had a median of 92 months.
Immigration accounted for 241 people (6%) and fraud, theft, or embezzlement for 225 (6%). Child pornography (images of child exploitation) accounted for 146 (4%), with a median of 84 months. Assault, with 56 people, had the longest median in the table at 119.5 months.
| Offense type | People sentenced | Share of district | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firearms | 1,372 | 36% | 58 months | 98% |
| Drug Trafficking | 1,116 | 29% | 78 months | 99% |
| Robbery | 302 | 8% | 92 months | more than 99% |
| Immigration | 241 | 6% | 16 months | more than 99% |
| Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement | 225 | 6% | 26 months | 99% |
| Child Pornography | 146 | 4% | 84 months | more than 99% |
| Assault | 56 | 1% | 119.5 months | 93% |
| Tax | 55 | 1% | 18 months | 95% |
Criminal History of Those Sentenced
Federal sentencing places each person in a criminal history category, from category I, the lowest, to category VI, the highest. In this district, 27% were in category I and 15% were in category VI.
Criminal history affects where the guideline range is set. The data shows the categories, but it does not link them to individual sentences on this page.
How the Sentences Compared With the Guidelines
Guideline position was recorded for 3,812 people. Within-range sentences made up 53% (2,013), higher than the 48% share for all districts.
Sentences above the range numbered 262 (7%). Below-range sentences without a government request numbered 947 (25%). Below-range sentences at the government's request numbered 590 (15%), the smallest of the below-range groups.
The records report only the position of each sentence. They do not say what led a judge or prosecutor to depart from the range.
Prison Terms and Mandatory Minimums
Of the 3,816 people sentenced, 3,492 (92%) received a prison term, compared with 91% nationally. Probation only, without prison or other confinement, was ordered for 247 (6%).
The median prison term was 60 months. A quarter of those sent to prison received 102 months or more, and a quarter received 33 months or less. There were 3 life sentences.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 969 people (25%). These are the terms imposed by the court, not the time served.
Pleas and Trials
Guilty pleas made up 3,751 of the convictions (98%), and 65 people were convicted at trial. Written plea agreements were part of 95% of guilty pleas; 5% were straight pleas.
After a trial, the median prison term was 120 months, based on 65 people convicted at trial and sent to prison. The median after a guilty plea was 60 months. The data does not hold offense or criminal history constant between these groups.
Supervision, Fines, and Yearly Counts
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 3,481 people (91%), with a median of 36 months; 16 received it for life. Restitution was ordered for 792 people (21%) and a fine for 200 (5%).
The district sentenced 1,723 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 2,093 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The yearly table shows the median prison term at 53 months in 2018 and 78.5 months in 2025, while the yearly count was 283 in 2024. The records cannot show why these figures changed.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 423 | 55 months | 99% |
| 2017 | 407 | 55 months | 99% |
| 2018 | 403 | 53 months | 99% |
| 2019 | 490 | 60 months | 98% |
| 2020 | 404 | 60 months | 97% |
| 2021 | 365 | 65 months | 99% |
| 2022 | 403 | 66 months | 99% |
| 2023 | 326 | 71 months | 97% |
| 2024 | 283 | 76 months | 96% |
| 2025 | 312 | 78.5 months | more than 99% |
What Is Missing From the Count
Only people who were convicted and sentenced are in the Sentencing Commission data. Acquittals and dismissals do not appear, and the figures say nothing about the strength of the evidence in any case.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Middle District of North Carolina (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "N Carolina Mid") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (3,816). Offense types are the Commission's OFFGUIDE categories.
Federal fiscal years run from October 1 to September 30. No person, judge, or lawyer is identified in any of these records.
What to Keep in Mind
No parole in federal prison; credit for good conduct. Federal prison has no parole for crimes committed on or after November 1, 1987. A federal prisoner can earn up to 54 days of good conduct credit for each year of the sentence the judge imposed, which is about 15%. Some federal prisoners can also earn First Step Act time credits, but many offenses make a person ineligible. The numbers in this post are the sentences judges imposed, not the time people actually served.
Federal supervised release. Most federal prison sentences are followed by a term of supervised release that the judge sets as part of the sentence. A person who violates it can be sent back to prison. A court-martial cannot sentence anyone to supervision after release. Military parole and mandatory supervised release are decided later by a board, not by the judge at trial.
Who decides the sentence, and under what rules. Federal judges sentence every federal case. They must calculate the Sentencing Guidelines range, which is advisory, and must impose any mandatory minimum the statute requires unless an exception applies. In courts-martial, the accused could choose sentencing by members until the rules changed. For cases in which every guilty finding is for an offense committed after December 27, 2023, a military judge sentences alone, within sentencing parameters. Courts-martial tried in 2024 and later include both old-rule and new-rule cases, and the data cannot tell them apart.
Time periods. Federal numbers are by federal fiscal year (October 1 to September 30), based on the sentencing date. The military numbers are by trial date. Neither source has the date of the offense, so a change in law shows up in either data set gradually.
How life sentences and "time served" are counted. In the federal numbers, a life sentence is counted as 470 months, and any other sentence longer than 470 months is counted as just under 470 months. A sentence of "time served" is counted as one day (0.03 months). Averages are affected by these rules; medians much less.
Mandatory minimum sentences. Many federal statutes on drugs, images of child exploitation, child sex abuse, and firearms carry mandatory minimum prison terms. The UCMJ has mandatory minimums only for a few offenses (a dishonorable discharge or dismissal for rape and sexual assault, and life for premeditated murder). Federal sentences for these offenses are partly set by Congress, not by the judge.
Related Analysis
- Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System (the background article)
- Federal Prosecution Analysis (all federal posts)
- How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built (sources and method)
- How Often Federal Judges Sentence Outside the Guideline Range
- Mandatory Minimums: How Many Federal Sentences Are Set by Congress
- U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles (source)
- Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants) (source)
About the author. Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts Where All The Bodies Are Buried and runs the Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.